


Sanctity of Dreams

by Santai



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Complete, Dreams, FrostIron - Freeform, M/M, Tony/Loki - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-20
Updated: 2012-08-20
Packaged: 2017-11-10 08:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/464450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Santai/pseuds/Santai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki has been featuring rather prominently in Tony's dreams in the time since they had returned to Asgard and using them for his own amusement. But there might be something more to it than just a bit of mischief on Loki's part.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_“There may be no way out of my prison,” Loki growled into Tony’s ear as he pressed up behind him, forcing the man’s chest against the wall, one hand clasping both of Tony’s arms above his head, his other sliding along the strip of exposed skin between his shirt and the waist of his jeans, “But there is no escape from me. Tony Stark.”_

_He was warm; wearing only a thin linen shirt and cloth trousers. None of the leather armour or golden embellishments that Tony remembered. His body was slim and chest defined against Tony’s back, he could feel ribs and taut muscle through the clothes. Yet, the strength with which Loki held him was more than Tony was able to overcome._

_“Surely, you should no longer be surprised,” Loki whispered smoothly as Tony once again tried to tug free, he could_ feel _the grin on the guy’s face, “We’ve been here before.”_

_The hand on his waist stroked his skin delicately, easing its way under the line of his trousers. Tony bucked violently at the movement, another vain attempt to escape that served only to amuse his captor. Hot breath brushed against his earlobe as Loki’s hand moved lower._

_There was a dark chuckle before a tutting into his ear, “Such protestations, Mr. Stark. How long will you deny yourself? You, of all people, are no stranger to bending to temptation.”_

**

Tony woke with an incoherent yell, sheets bunched in his fists and a thin sheen of sweat coating his brow. Breathing heavy, laced with the dying remnants of panic, he collapsed back onto his pillow, rubbing the back of his hand across his forehead as he stared up at the ceiling as his heart continued to thud loudly in his chest.

That was the fifteenth time now Loki had featured rather prominently in his dreams. And it pissed him off. In the three weeks since the two ‘gods’ had ascended to wherever it was they came from, the one thing that Tony had wanted to do was forget about them. A feat made almost impossible when his sworn enemy continued to show up in his dreams - nightmares, he corrected himself, they were definitely nightmares. No matter what the bulge in his trousers told him.

With an irritated snort, he rolled onto his side and checked the glowing clock on his bedside table. It was 4:30am. He groaned into his pillow, he would never be getting back to sleep now.

Feeling very much like he assumed Steve had after his first awakening, Tony pushed himself out of his bed and drifted groggily towards the bathroom, hoping a cold shower would help to wake him up a little. As well as shake the lingering memories of the nightmare from his thoughts.

It didn’t help.

Once out of the shower, he dressed in a loose top and tracksuit trousers and left his room to the kitchen to make himself a strong coffee.

“Sir, Captain Rogers is in the gym if you were to prefer some company,” Jarvis spoke over the intercom as took his fresh morning stimulant from under the machine and retreated to the glass wall that looked out over a dawn city.

Tony shook his head silently as he held the mug of steaming coffee under his nose, watching the waking city of New York through slightly narrowed eyes, using the smell of the drink to begin waking himself. Although, apparently, Captain Rogers had already been informed.

“Good morning, Tony,” Steve greeted, far too cheerily for Tony’s liking, as he strolled into the kitchen, “You’re up early.”

“No shit,” he muttered into his mug before lifting it to his lips and taking a mouthful.

At Tony’s tone, Steve’s mood seemed to reign in and he paused to regard him scrutinising manner, “Again?”

There was silence as Tony licked his lips, trying to remind himself why he had confided in Steve in the first place. Ever since, the guy had been fussing over him constantly. As it was more than usual for Tony to get up and wander around in the night, it was rather frustrating to have Captain America run around after him making sure he was alright.

“It happened again didn’t it,” Steve pressed, a statement rather than a question, knowing Tony well enough by now to tell when he was properly flustered.

Tony turned quickly, “What does it matter?” he asked forcefully, before seeming to regret his reply and ran a hand through his hair and looked at the floor, “Yes. Ok? It happened again,” he muttered feebly, before chugging the rest of his scolding coffee and moving back to the kitchen counter to busy himself making more.

Steve hesitated, unsure how to respond, “The same thing?

Tony broke away from fiddling with his coffee machine, “Can we not, do this whole therapy thing?” he asked making quick, aggravated motions in the air with his hands, “I don’t know why I even told you. It’s fine.”

“Because it’s not fine,” Steve told him earnestly, “This isn’t normal, Tony.”

“They’re just dreams Steve,” Tony replied, going back to his coffee.

“Recurring nightmares involving _Loki_ ,” Steve corrected, a note of annoyance in his voice as Tony refused to accept that there was any worry in this, “There could easily be something more to it.”

“Like what?!” Tony asked, eyes wide, already getting frustrated by Steve’s presence. When he hit problems in his life, the only thing he wanted to do was ignore them, push them to one side and focus on anything but them. But Captain America was apparently very much against that, “Mind-control? Stealing my secrets while I sleep? Steve, the guy is in a different dimension! As powerful as he claimed to be I doubt he could do that. Seriously drop it before I tie you to a chair and put Star Trek on repeat.”

Steve glared at him before sighing, “I’m asking Thor later.”

Tony blinked and frowned, “I don’t think you can telegram Asgard.”

Steve rolled his eyes, “No, but if you had been to any of the meetings Director Fury has called you would know that Thor is coming back later today for a two week visit,” he replied, already turning to leave in that irritating habit he had of walking away at the exact moment when he knew Tony wouldn’t have a comeback. 

Mr Stark simply stood and glowered as the Captain left the room, finishing his coffee in a few burning gulps before heading head off to look for some kind of information as to this apparent godly visit. 


	2. Chapter 2

Steve had been right about Thor’s return.

However, Tony had done his damnedest to avoid both of them, locking himself in various off limit labs or scurrying around the narrowed back passages that the others knew little of. He was entirely certain that the god already knew, in great detail, Tony’s recent problems and Tony was more than happy to avoid confronting them at all costs. If he had to confront them, there was the possibility that there was something more to it than just messed up dreams. And that was a scenario Tony was really not ready to deal with, since the only alternative was that it was the real Loki in his head.

He just had to try to drown out the small part of his head that told him that the reason he didn’t want to face what was happening was the fear that it might bring the dreams to an end.

He forced that thought to one side as he emerged back in his penthouse from one of the side doors. He certainly did not enjoy them and he certainly did not want them to continue.

“Tony!”

Tony winced as Thor’s booming voice echoed into the room as the man stepped out of the main elevator, Steve close behind him.

“Security breach,” Tony muttered feebly to himself. The Avengers had long since seemed to have stopped caring about Tony’s personal space, coming and going as they pleased.

“How are you faring?” Thor asked, crossing the room in half the number of strides it would have taking anyone else.

Tony flashed a smile, pouring himself a drink from the bar, “Just awesome, I mean, my tower is now only three quarters destroyed, New York got running water again last week,” he paused to take a sip of his brandy, “Oh and my home is being used as an Avengers gathering site, to the detriment of my own personal space and comfort. So yeah, things are just peachy.”

Thor grinned, “I am glad to hear it!” he announced, as the sarcasm flew right over his head.

“I’ve told him about your…problem,” Steve input as he came to stand beside Thor.

“Of course you have,” Tony muttered under his breath, stepping out from behind the bar and crossing the room to the leather sofas.

“The Captain was right to tell me,” Thor informed him, watching as Tony dropped onto one of the seats, facing away from them out across the cityscape, “They are no normal dreams.”

A sinking feeling weighted his stomach as Tony waved a hand in the air in sarcastic celebration, hoping it would hide the real concern he was feeling. This was exactly what he didn’t need, “Oh well isn’t that just wonderful.”

“I think you need to take this more seriously, Tony,” Steve urged, taking the seat opposite him and snatching his gaze with earnest eyes, “It’s Loki.”

“Yes, thank you, I’d got that,” Tony responded, rubbing the bridge of his nose and screwing his eyes shut to avoid Steve looking at him. After a moment, his hand dropped away and he looked up to the Asgardian who was towering over them, standing beside Steve, “So what? Loki’s sat in a cell somewhere concocting some mind control spell, is that what this is?”

Thor shook his head gravely, “Nothing so theatrical. Ever since he was young Loki has had the ability to retreat into his mind, escaping physical reality almost entirely. He had not done so in a long time, but a short while after our return to Asgard, he left us. No one has been able to reach him, we assumed he was beyond any contact. That is until Steve spoke of your dreams.”

Tony pursed his lips as he regarded Thor with a concentrated, somewhat sceptical frown, “So the king of crazy got home, went into a coma and decided that my head is a better place to live? Or did he just get lost?”

“My brother has always been able to enter dreams,” Thor told him, “He used to visit mine when we were younger. Though in not quite the same capacity as the Captain says he does with you.”

“I should hope not,” Tony wrinkled his nose into his drink, still doing his best to hide his continually twisting stomach from the Captain and his giant cohort. He hated being fussed over at the best of times. And this was not the best of times.  

“I learnt a way to keep my dreams my own however, when it became clear that Loki’s intentions were not always playful,” Thor continued.

Tony gave Thor his full attention at that. His eyes flicked up and he moved the glass away from his mouth, “They’ll stop?” he asked, warily. Though he honestly couldn’t tell whether which answer he was wary of getting.

“No, unfortunately not,” Thor replied, grimly, shaking his head, “Unless you are a magic wielder yourself, there is no way of preventing Loki’s wanderings. However, my techniques may give you the control, rather than he.”

Tony nodded, his interest waning into a sombre pensiveness, eyes downcast as he took a couple of sips, not sure of his own thoughts.

“Tony, you need to listen to Thor,” Steve insisted when Tony didn’t respond, “We don’t know what will happen if this carries on.”

“Is that jealousy Rogers?” Tony quipped, but there was no real force behind the barb. When it was met with silence and stern glares, Tony gave a heavy sigh and put his drink to one side, “All right, all right. I get it. What do I need to do?”

**

That night, Tony sat on the edge of his bed, more reluctant than usual to actually go to sleep. Thor had spent over an hour talking over the techniques he had once practiced himself to keep Loki at bay, but there was no way actually putting them to use before bed. There was only so much Tony could take before he wanted to regain his privacy, ushering the others out and relaxing onto the sofa with the remains of his drink in hand, thoughts caught in a blender of Thor’s instructions and blurred memories of Loki’s trips into his head.

The real Loki. Not just some figment of his own imagination. It was the real World Ruler Wanna-be that was in his head. The thought had generated a new question. Why?

The only reason Tony could work out so far was shits and giggles, though he doubted that’s the wording that Loki would use. The guy just seemed to want to push him over a line that Tony had not even fathomed could exist. And took great enjoyment from the process. Tony had so far resisted, despite Loki’s constant taunts. A particular favourite for him was when he tried to convince Tony that the whole fucked up situation was something he wanted.

With a heavy sigh, Tony rubbed a hand over his face. Just going near that neck of the thought jumble frustrated him. He’d only just found out he needed to deal with the real Loki, rather than just another example of his messed up psyche. He wasn’t going into another wasps nest of just yet.  

**

_They were face to face this time, Loki’s shadowed grin not inches from Tony’s face, his body pressing Tony up against a wall, once again pinning his arms over his head with one hand while the other gently held his neck. He could feel his own pulse beat heavily against Loki’s fingers. His breath smelt like cinnamon, hot and sweet as it brushed over his skin._

_“Good evening, Mr.Stark,” came the silky greeting, lidded green eyes fixed on Tony’s lips, “Pleased to see me are we?” he asked, flicking his gaze further down momentarily before up to meet Tony’s, that infuriating smirk sending unbidden shivers down his spine._

_With a force of will, Tony shut his eyes and focused on what Thor had said. Reminding himself that this was not reality. This was his mind. Tony’s mind. Where Tony had full control. He just had to remind himself of the fact. That’s what Thor had said._

_Loki was silent for a moment, “So that’s where Thor is.”_

_Tony opened his eyes with a frown, “What are you talking about?”_

_Loki tilted his head, not moving, “He is only one who uses that method. I had wondered where had gone to. I’m thankful, truly. His constant visits were beginning to become quite the bore,” he told him conversationally, “Now, shall we not speak of family. Not really the time is it?”_

_Tony glowered, “Get the fuck off me,” he hissed, trying his best to regain his control._

_“Oo,” Loki grinned, somehow moving closer without their faces meeting, “Your willpower is truly astounding. But somewhat, unnecessary.”_

_“How’d you figure that?” Tony growled, trying futilely to press away into the wall behind him._

_“Who are you trying to impress with your restraint? The Captain isn’t here.”_

_Tony squirmed in Loki’s grip, swallowing hard as he searched for some response. Why did he always have to go there?  With a final force of will, Tony shut his eyes and began to once again use Thor’s instruction._

_“Tony,” Loki said in a soft, alluring tone, “Is that really what you want? You know it isn’t.”_

_Tony ignored him._

_It took a moment but eventually, Tony felt the weight of Loki’s body and the force holding his arms above his head weaken. The darkened, non-descript room he was in shimmered like a mirage and he felt Loki move back slightly._

_He had gained control._

_Opening his eyes, Tony pulled his hands arms out of Loki’s grip and took a number of long steps backwards, putting distance between them, watching him warily the whole time. Loki let him go, turning slowly as his former prey backed off. Though his attention was on the surroundings._

_The background shifted as Tony’s mind took complete control. In the false physics of dreams, they were suddenly in the living room of his penthouse, his comfort zone. Tony felt himself relax a little. But the fact there was an Asgardian stood a few feet away looking around the room, with an unusual curiosity._

_The muscles under Loki’s eyes tensed, narrowing his eyes from below as he glanced around at the change before turning to look at Tony with a small, almost impressed smile, “I heard a saying on your world. That you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. They stand corrected, Mr. Stark.”_

_Tony pulled his shoulders back, watching as Loki turned fully to face him. This was the first time he’d actually been to take a look at the guy properly. He was dressed in a white linen shirt similar to what Tony had seen Scottish people wear with their kilts, and brown, cloth trousers that were baggy and ill-fitting on his slender frame and his face seemed a lot more gaunt and hollow than the last they had faced off, tired and haggard. Dark circles rimmed his eyes and his hair was a dishevelled mess, rather than the neat, brushed back style he used to have, thick strands now framed his face and covering small portions of the deathly pale skin on his forehead.  Without the armour and the weaponry, he wasn’t much more than a wiry, fragile looking guy with a grin that seemed overly forced._

_“I do not need grand fineries to be powerful, Tony, you know that better than most,” Loki commented then smirked at Tony’s frown, “You’re surprised that I read your thoughts? I am in your head am I not?”_

_Tony swallowed and shuffled in place, “Yeah well, you don’t get the run around anymore,” he replied, with a sniff._

_Loki’s smile fell slightly, “I can see that,” he glanced around the created room once more, “Such a shame. You were just about to let yourself indulge.”_

_Tony narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to protest but Loki cut him off with a heavy sigh._

_“Even when you know I can see what you are thinking you continue to deny it,” he told him inclining his head and regarding him like a child who should know better, “You can’t hide anything from me.”_

_Tony licked his lips, there were few who could best him in conversation, it just seemed unfair that the person he was talking to could read his every thought. Besides, there was no way in hell that Loki could ‘see’ that Tony was ‘just about to indulge’. Like hell he was. Loki chuckled to himself but Tony ignored it, simply glaring fiercely at him, “You want to explain what the hell you’re doing here?”_

_“Why should I not be here?” Loki asked in response, raising his arms in a small shrug, “I have little else with which to occupy my time.”_

_“Oh yeah, Thor mentioned that,” at the name, Loki’s grin faded slightly which only made the dark circles beneath his eyes more prominent, “Your little nap.”_

_“And that’s how he described it, is it?” Loki seemed to find the thought amusing, “It’s somewhat more complicated than that, but then again Thor has never been one to grasp complex theories. This one may even be beyond your reach.”_

_“Oh, you wanna try me?” Tony asked._

_Loki ran his eyes over Tony, evaluative, before he lifted his chin and glanced around the room once more, “Perhaps some other time Mr. Stark. It seems the waking world calls your presence.”_

_Tony frowned, but he didn’t have enough time to respond._

**

Reality washed over him, a lot gentler than he had become used to over the last few weeks. No incoherent yell or cold sweat. He woke up with that slow, reluctant blinking that most normal people were accustomed to. Though it brought a frown to his features as the dream reran over his mind. It brought back that increasingly familiar question. Why?


	3. Chapter 3

It was noon by the time Tony finally dragged himself out of bed. He might have come out of his dream feeling better than he usually did but that didn’t mean it was out of his thoughts. It wasn’t just why he was there. Loki had exactly seemed like the same being of death and destruction he had been when he was trying to take over the world. If anything, he looked tired. But that wasn’t what had had Tony lying awake, glowering at the ceiling. Instead, it the annoyingly loud, curious voice in his head that wanted to what was wrong.

With a snort, Tony kicked the covers away and got up and dressed with a mind to find Thor. There wasn’t going to anyone else who could answer his questions.

Thor was in Tony’s kitchen, clutching a box of frosted flakes and lifting handfuls at a time into his mouth, apparently quite enjoying a newfound ‘midgardian delicacy’. He seemed to find himself a new one with every visit. Tony greeted him with a tight smile, not even surprised that he’d managed to get into his penthouse and begin eating his food. JARVIS would have something to answer for once he found himself some time to pull computer system apart.

“Good morning, Tony,” Thor hailed with his traditional, booming greeting as Tony came into the room, thankfully swallowing his mouthful before speaking, “How did you sleep?”

“Better,” Tony replied, moving around Thor to try to get to his coffee machine, trying to maintain an air of casual normalcy.

“I am glad to hear it,” Thor nodded to himself, his mood suddenly mellowing, looking down at the cereal box in his hands, “I had feared that perhaps my methods had not worked for you.”

“Yeah, well worry no more, big fella,” Tony told him, watching as black coffee filled his cup, “Full control upstairs.”

Thor nodded again, gaze to the floor as he set the box to one side. A thick silence fell between them , “How is he?” he asked, tentatively, sounding more scared of the answer than Tony had thought he was capable of.

He paused with a small frown before reaching out to take his coffee from the machine. Thor’s concern for Loki had caught him more off guard than it should have done. Of course he was going to care, Thor still thought of Loki as his brother after all.

“How is he?” he repeated, still frowning, “How should I know? Isn’t he technically on Narnia?”

“Narnia?”

“Asgard,” Tony corrected himself, a little disappointed that no one was getting his pop culture references anymore.

“Physically, yes,” Thor agreed with a solemn nod of the head, “However, Loki became lost to us not long after our return. Like I said, the force of the punishment he was facing p-”

Tony lifted a hand, cutting him off, “Woah hang on. Punishment? You never mentioned any punishment. What punishment?” he asked quickly.

Confusion creased Thor’s forehead, “It is a price Loki must pay for what he has done,” he explained as though it was obvious.

“By putting him in a coma?!”

Thor shifted his stance and suddenly he seemed a lot bigger, “Loki’s retreat was his own choice. We have no knowledge of how he achieves it,” Thor responded simply, “I would thought you would be pleased that justice was being done for what he did to your world.”

“Well yeah!” Tony replied, instantly, “But not when it means he can escape and mess with my head!”

“Loki has not escaped,” Thor stated, looking at him in a way that beginning to make Tony severely regret starting an argument, “How do you propose we contain his mind?”

Tony tensed his jaw to bite back his initial sarcastic comment. It didn’t take a genius to work out that Thor wasn’t far from his breaking point, “Is there no way of, I don’t know, waking him up?”

“You think we have not tried everything we could think of?” Thor asked darkly before realising that anger would not serve him well, “The punishment was stopped when it became clear that he was no longer feeling it. Nothing we have tried since has done anything. Loki’s body endures, breathing and alive, yet unfeeling and unaware of anything around him,” Thor explained, voice weighted with regret as his head fell, “Do you think I enjoy knowing my brother is almost completely lost to me?”

Tony’s gaze fell to the floor as he took a sip of his coffee. So Loki was lying unconscious in a cell somewhere following several rounds of Asgardian justice. Somehow, Tony couldn’t help but feel a note of concern. With a snort, he pushed it to one side. No way was he going to let that psycho get any of his concern. He got what he deserved.

“How was he?” Thor asked tentatively, breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen between them.

Tony’s eyes flicked up for a moment then gave an uncaring shrug, “A bit tired. Same old psychotic self though.”

Anger flashed in Thor’s eyes but the god swallowed it back, “He is still my brother. No matter what he has done or will do.”

Tony regarded Thor for a long moment as the sentiment soaked in before he took another swig of his coffee, “Yeah well, no offence, but you can keep him,” he muttered, clutching his mug in one hand and walking away.

**

His day had only gone downhill from there.

It had all kicked off with a call from Pepper, something he had not expected since their near apocalyptic argument not long after the whole Loki fiasco started. There was only so much she could cope with apparently, storming out and quitting in a fashion that had made it quite clear she wasn’t for returning.  

The call was an awkward request for a reference for a new job. Tony had agreed, reluctantly, and only after Steve had walked in on the conversation and agreed for him.

Almost as soon as he had slammed the phone down, he slunk away into one of the lower labs and began to take out his frustration with the use of volatile and explosive chemical mixtures. This, coupled with the frustration of everything else, lead to a slight miscalculation and the destruction of one the more expensive pieces of equipment, as well as the loss of one eyebrow. Said explosion resulted in a stern scolding from Steve as well as a sad, accepting sigh from Bruce who had apparently planned to use that machinery for his research.

Tony wasn’t sure which was worse.

After that the company joined him, apparently for the rest of the day. They did not trust him enough to leave him alone. Both Steve and Bruce (who apparently had been fully updated on his recent sleep troubles) hounded him for the next hour as Tony patched up the few minor burns he had sustained, wanting to know how he was, every gruesome detail they could eek out of him.

Tony told them over and over again that he was coping and that he didn’t need their mothering. He, of course, left out the parts about how he wasn’t feeling nearly as bad about the nocturnal visits as the two on his back made him feel like he should. He wouldn’t be able to tell anyone that. Tolerating dreams involving a crazed Asgardian alien wasn’t going to be met well. Enjoying them was not something he was going to admit to himself, let alone anyone else.

Once Tony had finally gotten rid of his new substitute parents through the use of thinly veiled threats of using his suit, he officially locked down his penthouse, deciding it was probably the only way to get any form of privacy. The rest of the evening was spent surrounding himself with music loud enough to drown out the sound of his phone and probably cause some significant damage to his hearing and the rest of that bottle of brandy he’d started the day before.

**

_It was a bed this time. The same one Tony had collapsed, probably drunkenly, into what felt like moments before. Loki was straddling him, gazing down in the low light, leaning on his hands that were pressed into the pillows on either side of Tony’s head. Both were naked from the waist up. Loki’s torso was slim and defined, resembling a lithe marathon runner, betraying none of the strength he had demonstrated both in the dream world and reality. Just by looking at him, you wouldn’t know that he could throw a full grown man out of a window._

_Loki continued to gaze intently at his captive before he seemed to come to some sort of conclusion, “You’re stressed, Tony,” he informed him, conversationally, running a hand down Tony’s torso, gaze following it._

_Tony struggled futilely, but Loki was surprisingly heavy on him, “Can’t say you’re helping,” he protested, settling for glowering fiercely up at him since his attempts at escape weren’t going to work._

_Loki gave a knowing grin. Tony couldn’t decide whether it was the lighting or not but he seemed even more exhausted than the previous evening. Not that it mattered. Tony couldn’t care less._

_With a force of will, Tony closed his eyes and began to assert his reality. To wrench control from Loki like he had before._

_“Oh Tony, must you?” Loki asked with the tone of an exasperated parent, before lowering his head to whisper, “I have only ever offered what you dare not ask for, my pet.”_

_At that Tony snapped his eyes open, “I am not your pet,” he spat, venomously, head lifting off the bed a little with the force of his words._

_“Touchy touchy,” Loki chastised, “What happened to Thor’s instruction? It must be difficult to grasp with your mind in such a state.”_

_Tony narrowed his eyes and struggled again, alcohol and frustration coupling together to wrest any form of coherent thought from him, let alone pulling himself from Loki’s control, “Get the fuck off me right now or I swear to God I’ll headbutt you so hard your brother will feel it.”_

_Loki chuckled with genuine amusement, “Ah Tony, I am your god.”_

_With a wordless yell, Tony went to make good on his threat, thrashing violently to collide his forehead with Loki’s. He thrashed and pulled at Loki’s grip but to no avail. After a few moments, he gave up, falling back onto the bed, breathing heavily and glowering venomously._

_“Are you quite finished?” Loki asked with a bored tone._

_“Fuck you!”_

_Loki tilted his head, “If only you would.”_

_“Then do it already!” Tony yelled, immediately, with enough force to make Loki raise his eyebrows, “It’s not like I could stop you is it?! So how about you stop with the mind games, get it the fuck over with and piss off!”_

_Loki was silent, regarding Tony with an odd, unreadable expression as he tried to calm himself as he realised what he had just said. What he had just said to the god, pinning him with unsurpassable strength to a bed, in his own dreams. He swallowed hard and watched Loki’s faced intently, searching for any hint, any flicker of intent on his face. But there was none. Another tense moment passed before Loki sat back, releasing Tony’s arms._

_“I’m not a monster,” he said quietly and suddenly, in the illogical fluidity of dreams, he was stood several feet away from the bed, fully dressed, arms folded across his chest, “Not in that regard anyway.”_

_Tony sat up quickly, eyes fixed on Loki as he backed away and stood up, putting the bed between them, wondering what the hell was happening._

_“What the hell do you want from me?” he growled._

_“That depends on what you want from me,” Loki replied with a casual shrug of one shoulder._

_Tony frowned and his mouth dropped open as he tried and failed to find any words. When it became clear none were forthcoming, he licked his lips, straightened his shoulders and tried again, doing his best to control the rage that was still simmering just below the surface. It didn’t take a genius to work out this was an anomaly, it was odd. The god of mischief backing off with no argument or protest. Something was wrong, and that couldn’t help but spark a note of worry for his own wellbeing more than when he was in Loki’s grasp. Tony took a deep breath._

_“I want answers,” he stated._

_A smile pressed into one of Loki’s cheeks, “Then I would have your questions.”_

_“What the hell do you want from me?!” Tony repeated forcefully, not quite as in control of his anger as he thought, “One minute you’ve got me pinned against a wall growling into my ear, then as soon as tell you to do it you back off?!”_

_“You’re angry that I backed off?” he narrowed his eyes playfully, but Tony didn’t dignify that  with an answer. “I want to alleviate boredom. Simple really.”_

_Tony blinked, “So you’re using my head as your personal plaything while you take a break from reality, is that it?”_

_Loki shrugged his answer, but gave nothing more._

_Tony ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it, as he paced a couple of steps to and fro before looking back to Loki, talking frantically and gesturing wildly, “Then why me? Why not your brother? Or some other broken and messed up brain to have fun with? Why did you have to make my life miserable?”_

_Loki’s smile grew as he watched Tony’s actions with what looked like fond amusement, “Don’t pretend you don’t think of yourself with exactly those descriptors.”_

_Tony shook his head, moving forward to plant his hands on the bed and fix his gaze firmly on Loki, “Why. Me.”_

_Loki paused, thinking about his answer before replying, eyes never leaving Tony’s, “Because I’m drawn to chaos. Chaos and intelligence and broken things. There aren’t many minds that are such a combination of all three, pushed to the side of light.”_

_“If you think you can make me switch sides yo-“_

_“Nothing of the sort,” Loki lifted a hand and deftly drew a cross over his heart with his index finger._

_Tony frowned, finding himself believing him completely against any rational thought or logic or persona experience of dealing with Loki. It was just something that Tony seemed to know, that right now, Loki was telling the truth. Unless of course, it was just another part of Loki’s control over his mind, to make him believe whatever he wanted._

_With another deep breath, Tony grit his teeth and looked away, “So by trying to get me to have sex with you in my dreams, you’re satisfying your curiosity,” he said, sceptically, “That’s how this works? Jesus, you are insane.”_

_Loki smirked and ran his gaze over Tony’s still bare torso, “That’s something else as well. Trust, Tony. Intimacy is the greatest form of trust. We allow ourselves to be completely vulnerable, at our weakest, naked and unprotected at the hands of another with barely a second thought. In your head, during intimate moments, so much becomes visible. Of course not in reality, but we’re not talking about reality.”_

_“You’re doing that!” Tony wafted a hand violently at the bed, “To gain my trust?! You’ve got one twisted, psychotic view of trust buddy.”_

_“Perhaps,” he smiled, “But it appears to be working._ Buddy _. Perhaps your view of trust is just as warped as mine.”_

_Tony shuffled where he stood, “It is not working,” he hissed._

_“Your lips may let slip as many silver tongued lies as you wish Tony, but you can’t tell anything but truth in your subconscious,” Loki replied with that irritating, smug tone before unfolding his arms and giving a small salute, “I’ll see you tomorrow night, Mr. Stark. Perchance you will come to accept your own thoughts by then. It will help with your stress.”_

_Tony tried to respond with another biting comment but it was lost as the dream melted around him…_

**

…Leaving him blinking awake in the light of a morning, his head more messed up than ever.

 


	4. Chapter 4

 “You’re worried about the guy?” Bruce asked he typed some figures into the interface he was using.

Tony had always found Bruce to be an easy person to talk to. The constantly distracted manner he had made Tony’s problems feel inconsequential, no matter what they were.

The events of the night before had been playing on his mind all day and he needed a sounding board to vent to. Steve was right out of the question and talking to Thor about the bedroom experiences with his brother just felt weird, Natasha would probably make some sarcastic comment and drop kick him to the floor and Clint was off on a mission. Bruce was the only option.

The calm scientist was easily found, in the same lab that Tony had nearly destroyed the previous day. He was doing his best to continue his work around the pieces of debris and melted metal work that were littering the place. He listened had listened quietly as Tony had retold what had happened. He would glance up occasionally and ask for clarification on the odd matter but mostly he just continued on with his work. Anyone who didn’t know him well would have thought he was simply not listening at all.

 “Not worried, per se,” Tony replied, frowning at the remains of the piece of machinery that he’d broken, hoping to keep his mind fairly busy. He often found he could work things out faster while focusing on something else entirely. This wasn’t exactly a simple situation, “Call it curiosity. I mean this is Loki we’re talking about. And he just backs off? That’s just not cricket.”

Bruce was silent as he pushed his glasses back up his nose and fiddled with some of the graphs on his screen, thinking, “Well it might not have been entirely a self-sacrificing act of kindness.”

Tony paused was he was doing and frowned across the lab at Bruce who didn’t notice for a while until he lifted his gaze for the first time and took the confusion as his cue to explain

“Well you said he looked tired and Thor told you he was in a coma-like state right? Now, I don’t know exactly how his might work, but it’s lasted what? Three weeks now at least? Judging by Thor’s appetite, the gods have to eat. A lot,” a computer dinged, drawing Bruce’s attention away as he finished with a small shrug, “Maybe he just doesn’t have the energy to try so hard anymore.”

Tony looked back to his broken equipment, thoughts cast back over the memories of the state that Loki seemed to be in, plus the rationality of what Bruce was saying. It would make sense. Loki wasn’t exactly in tip top condition when he left Earth. Coupled with whatever the Asgardians called ‘punishment’, it wouldn’t be an implausible explanation.

After a second, he realised he had been staring pensively at the floor for a long period and gave a quiet snort, refusing to acknowledge that he was feeling any kind of sympathy as he focused his attention on fixing his machine.

“You are worried about him aren’t you?” Bruce asked. He had stopped whatever he was working on and was watching Tony over the top of his head.

Tony gave an exasperated sigh and raised an eyebrow at Bruce, “Don’t go Rogers on me, Banner,” he pleaded.

Bruce just shrugged and went back to his work. “It was just a question. Do you know what he’s up to?”

Tony swallowed, “My trust apparently.”

Bruce frowned, whether at the new information from Tony or at something that had come up at the screen, he didn’t know, “Your trust? Why would he want that? The last time you met in real life he threw you out of a window. Doesn’t sound very trustworthy.”

“How should I know what he wants? The guy is crazy.”

“Trying to get you to switch sides?” Bruce suggested.

Tony shook his head and immediately waved the idea off, “No, that’s the one thing he said he wasn’t doing.”

“And you believe him?”  Bruce asked.

Tony pursed his lips and readjusted part of the machine without answering, because as illogical and ridiculous as it seemed, Tony had believed him and still did, despite the rational part of his mind that told him that trusting the word of Loki was- _Trust?_ Tony blinked and rubbed the side of his head. Shit.

“You do believe him, don’t you?” Bruce’s voice was calm, but he had taken his glasses off and had completely laid his work to one side.

Tony took a deep breath and tensed his jaw, “No,” he stated, so low it was almost a growl.

“You’re usually a better liar, Tony,” Bruce pointed out, accurately.

A moment of silence passed as Tony exhaled slowly and began to fix his machine, anything to distract himself from the fact he had just used the words ‘trust’ and ‘Loki’ in the same sentence, the fact it was mental didn’t matter, “If I wanted a lecture on morality I would have gone to Steve ok? Can we please not discuss my mental state?”

“Just be careful Tony,” Bruce finished with a small genuine smile, “The guy is in your head. There’s a lot of other things in your head that Loki would probably find quite useful. Maybe that’s why he wants your trust.”

Tony pressed his lips together in a thin humourless line and silence fell in the lab, broken only by computerised voices and the sound of metal on metal as Tony began to slowly bring the equipment back to working condition and Bruce went back to his work.

But Tony gave up after about an hour. He found himself far too distracted by the brand new realisation that he could have already effectively spilled every secret about the Avengers, Stark Industries, the Earth itself to the biggest threat it had faced so far. And yet he still couldn’t bring himself not to trust him.

He left Bruce to his work, promising to return and fix the machine as soon as he could, blaming a lack of tools and time. Both of which Bruce clearly knew were lies but said nothing of it.

Almost everyone who came across him as he slunk through the corridors, head down and hands stuffed into his pockets, knew better than to stop and chat. He was left to his own thoughts for at least an hour before he crossed paths with the one person who was not too great at subtlety. Thor grinned as he caught sight of Tony walking towards him and threw his arms out to his sides. Tony didn’t have to look up or wait for him to speak to recognise the sound of his gait, he simply stopped where he was and waited for Thor to come to a stop, praying to whatever gods apart from those present that he didn’t try to hug him.

They were answered as Thor seemed to catch on to his mood.

“Tony,” he greeted, frowning, “What has you so low?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Tony looked up, grinning his easy, false smile, “Don’t you worry yourself big boy. Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Of course. What would you have of me?”

Tony licked his lips and shuffled slightly, already a little uneasy about the possible answer, “These little dream trips your brother is a fan of, just how much of my head can he see?”

Thor paused and thought about his answer before replying, “During his visits to my dreams when we were children, he would often leave with knowledge of secrets that I had not told him verbally. I do not know the extent of his vision, however.”

“So, theoretically, he could be anywhere from a brand new knowledge of high level weapons technology, to the deepest secrets of the Earth’s most recent defences?” Tony paused to purse his lips and look away. So he could have single-handedly handed over everything Loki might need to comeback bigger and better. All because Loki had somehow managed to manipulate him into having an iota of belief in the guy. “Wonderful.”

Thor frowned, sensing the effect of his reply, “I doubt that knowledge would interest him, Tony. Human weaponry is rudimentary and weak compared to the kind of power that Loki already controls or could easily get hold of,” Tony gave an offended frown. His weapons were _not_ rudimentary. “Further to that, there are others with knowledge of more use to Loki, were he planning to once again attempt to take the Earth for his own. Something which I highly doubt he will do.”

Tony narrowed his eyes. Thor made sense. Surely the one Loki would go for was Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D, with all the knowledge that he kept from those he commanded. As far as he knew, the only one Loki had visited was Tony. So why? There was no way Loki was just dropping by for a chat.

Tony snorted to himself and slipped past Thor. There were few times he regretted being Tony Stark. And this was definitely one of them.

**

_Tony had gone to bed, determined to fight Loki’s hold from the beginning and break his control before he got the chance to look too deeply into his thoughts._

_But when the dream started, he found he didn’t need to. He found himself stood in the workshop of his Malibu mansion surrounded by his array of expensive cars, half built vintages, robots and the first model of his Iron Man suit held up against the wall, missing its helmet. After a quick glance around the room, he located it._

_Loki was turning over in his hands, regarding it with idle curiosity as he stood at one of the work benches a short distance away, apparently completely oblivious to his presence. Tony frowned a little, wary of the whole situation._

_“Not even trying anymore,” Tony called, watching as Loki laid the helmet gently back onto the counter and looked up, “Getting tired are we?”_

_“A loaded question,” Loki smirked and returned his attention to the workbench before him, lifting one of the screws between a finger and thumb and inspecting it, “An attempt to reconcile that newfound concern you gained for me. Thank you for that by the way,” he nodded this gratitude and replaced the screw onto the countertop._

_Tony narrowed his eyes, but since the Loki had already told him several times he couldn’t hide things from him. Arguing would just end with a round of derivative sarcasm._

_“It is flattering,” Loki continued after a moment of pushing the remaining screws around the bench. When he met Tony’s eyes again, there was something new there, something that Tony had never expected to see in him. Was that gratitude? “Truly. It’s not often I find genuine compassion for a being such as myself.”_

_“I just don’t want you losing your touch, it’d make this way to easy.”_

_Loki chuckled and looked back to the work bench. Tony may have been mistaken but the soft hitch of his lips held no sarcasm or falseness. It seemed real, genuine. It made Loki look so much younger and more vulnerable under a mask of biting remarks and cynical comments. But it was gone within a second, so fast that Tony wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t imagined it._

_“In answer to your question,” Loki carried on, taking a few steps along the work bench, keeping his gaze on it, eyes flicking over the various things laid haphazardly over it, “This is my mind’s manifestation of myself. After the blows my ‘people’ have dealt me, I know for a fact I am not in the same physical state as when I left my body, however because I don’t know exactly how I differ, my mind makes the only changes it is certain of,” he gestured absently to his dark eyes and hollow cheeks, “Does that make sense?”_

_Tony nodded slowly, “I think I gotcha.”_

_Loki smirked – he’d gone back to the false smiles – before lifting yet another object from the bench and frowned at it, “What is this?” he asked before flinching when his finger pressed a little too hard on the trigger and starting the drill with a loud whir, holding it at arm’s length until the drill bit had stopped moving. Frown deepening, he brought it closer again, inspecting the part that had been moving with a deep scrutiny._

_“It’s a power drill,” Tony informed him, approaching and taking the tool out of the god’s hands. Dream or not he wasn’t going to let the God of Mischief loose with power tools, “I would’ve thought you were more interested in the big gold and red over there I used to kick the crap out of you.”_

_Loki pursed his lips and turned fully to face him. With only a couple of hand breadths between them, Tony suddenly became very aware of how much the 6 foot something god towered over him, watching him intently with guarded, deep green eyes that made Tony pause and work hard to ignore that feeling in his stomach._

_Loki tilted his head, “I might be more interested if I didn’t already know all its secrets.”_

_The colour drained from Tony’s face and that feeling in his stomach twisted violently into something else._

_Loki chuckled again, “You worry so readily, Tony. If I wanted your secrets I would ask for them and your subconscious would tell me everything I care to know as well as a whole plethora of information I don’t. Your suit is on the forefront of your mind almost all the time, but I have no use for its secrets,” the god explained dismissively, using the opportunity to close the gap a little. Tony defiantly kept his position. At least defiance was how he rationalised letting the god of mischief come within touching distance, “I want your trust. There are easier ways for a dream-walking being like myself to turn a man into a traitor,” he finished quietly, close enough for Tony to feel the warmth of his breath. He broke eye contact and glanced down to Tony’s mouth._

_“I’m pretty sure this,” he pointed quickly between the two of them in the small space between them, “counts as disloyalty.”_

_Loki smirked and narrowed his eyes, “You want to become a traitor Mr Stark?” he asked, teasingly, sliding a hand around Tony’s hip and slipping his little finger under the waistband of his trousers._

_Tony’s breath hitched slightly and that feeling his stomach flared in a not so unpleasant manner, “Fuck you,” he hissed, unable to prevent the smirk that eased its way onto his face._

_“I thought you’d never ask.”_

_Before Tony really knew what was happening, Loki’s second hand was around the back of Tony’s neck and their lips met in a fierce kiss. He tasted like some impossible combination of spice and snow. His was just as agile in reality as in speech, easily parting Tony’s lips and slipping inside, eagerly met. He felt Loki’s hand slide under his shirt, long fingers splayed out over his hand. He arched into the touch, his own hands mirrored his movements, one sliding up to bury itself into his coarse hair as he pressed himself closer._

_A part of him couldn’t believe he was doing this. He was about to sleep with the guy who had once tried to kill him, made an attempt to take over the world. It was stupid, insane and morally, way off the scale. He should be scared, feeling manipulated, worried for his health or the secrets he was holding._

_But, as Tony realised when Loki’s fingers began to deftly unbutton his jeans with surprising ease for a being with no prior knowledge of jeans, he genuinely didn’t care. Fucking trust._


	5. Chapter 5

The broken machine was still broken when Tony eventually returned to the lab the next day. The lab itself was empty, Bruce had taken the day off to meet Clint had returned from wherever it was he had been. That left Tony to don a pair of headphones, blast AC/DC and set about properly putting his equipment back together with a rare smile on his face.

As usual his dream was rerunning over and over in his head, but this time, it was much less of a hindrance. It had been established Loki wasn’t in the early stages of a new plot to retake the Earth, he didn’t give a crap about the suit and he was, quite frankly, spectacular in bed. Well, workshop floor as it had turned out. The grin on his face grew as he hummed along to the music beating in his ears, suddenly quite distracted by thoughts Loki’s long fingers, cool against his skin, slipping easily down the front of his jeans and-

There was bright flash and a crackle of electricity as his hands slipped and the part he had been holding in place fell into the rest of the remains, short-circuiting the whole system. Tony wrinkled his nose as the smell of burnt rubber filled the air. This possibly wasn’t the best time to get distracted.

With a sigh, he lowered the headphones to his neck and stepped back to try to work out how he was supposed to get that part back, now that it was lost in the ruins.

“Sir, Captain Rogers is requesting entry to the lab,” Jarvis announced in his perpetually calm tone.

Tony pursed his lips, thoughtfully, at the machinery before deciding he’d just build a new one. It needed replacing anyway. “Let him in,” he called, turning away from the remains and unhooking the headphones from his neck and discarding them, along with his mp3 player, on the nearby countertop.

The soft hiss of the lab door announced Steve’s arrival. Tony turned with a welcoming grin as he plucked an oily cloth from the side and began the vain attempt to clean his hands. His good mood wasn’t going to be contained it seemed.

“Afternoon, Rogers,” he greeted conversationally, “Ready to finally take up my offer of a few science lessons?”

Steve gave a quiet chuckle and smiled, “You seem better. Thor’s advice paying off?”

Tony nodded, “The big, bad, psycho has backed off.”

“But he’s still there,” Steve inferred, a hint of that familiar apprehension in his voice.

Tony sighed and tossed the cloth to once side, not really bothered whether it landed on a surface or not and held up a finger and thumb only an inch apart, “We were _this_ close to having a whole conversation without you spilling your negative juice all over it,” he muttered, moving around the lab to start mentally measuring up for a new…what was that machine anyway?

“Sorry,” Steve replied quickly, not wanting to ruin Tony’s good mood, “It’s great news that he’s backed off, but the fact he’s still there is a little worrying don’t you think?”

Tony gave a casual shrug, choosing silence as the safest answer since the actual reality was that after last night, he was quite happy for Loki to remain in his dreams. He turned away to hide the smirk that eased its way onto his face as a whole host of memories resurfaced.

“Tony,” Steve said sternly, “How are you still not taking this seriously?”

Tony turned on his heels presenting his hands out to the side slightly, the remnants of the smirk still on his face, “Look, the guy has been in my head for what, nearly a month now? If he was going to do something don’t you think he would have done it already?”

“I don’t know, Tony,” Steve responded simply, “We can’t know. That’s the problem. After Director Fury, you’re the one with the _most_ useful information to him. He could be biding his time or –“

Tony lifted a hand and cut him off sharply, “Well he’s not ok? Trust me.”

Steve’s forehead creased a little, “Why are you defending him?”

Tony blinked as he realised that’s exactly what he was doing. Before Steve had a chance to register the realisation, he shrugged it off and busied himself collecting all the tools he had been using together, “I’m not defending him, I’m just saying that you’re getting yourself worked up over something that a) is probably never going to happen and that b) we have no control over anyway. The most I can do is stop him controlling me, I can’t kick him out completely.”

Steve was silent for a moment, staring at Tony somewhat incredulously, “You’re not worried at all are you?”

“You know what? No, I’m not,” Tony replied immediately, feeling a small amount of satisfaction from the look on Steve’s face, “Because why hell should I be? The guy is being tortured, on a planet a million miles from here, guarded by a race of Thors and their dads. Forgive me if I’m not worried about his one man army limping back to seek revenge.”

Steve’s incredulousness had melted into a stern scowl, “Be careful Tony, you have no idea what Loki is doing, no matter what you might think.”

With that he turned and strode from the room. Tony watched him go, seething a little. His good mood had been ruined. Was he ever just going to get a peaceful day again? His eyes ticked sideways to the remains of the equipment. He glowered at it for a moment before grabbing his headphones, turning them up to almost deafening levels and reapplied the tools in a few ways they were probably not designed to be used.

**

_When it started, Tony was surprised to find himself stood, quite free, in a large double doorway facing into grand bedroom that put everything that Tony had ever had to shame._

_The walls were tall and golden, hung with tapestries and ancient weaponry while stone statues stood sentinel in the room’s corners. The far wall was nothing more than a series of archways with thin gauze curtains separating the room from the balcony that stretched the length of the room. It was furnished sparsely with nothing but a tall bookshelf at one end, a desk laden with open books and ink jars, and the bed itself drawing the attention of the room. A tall four poster of dark wood with deep gold sheets and the same white gauze curtains that were, at the moment, drawn back, giving a partial view of the body laid out on it. But not enough to see who it was._

_Loki was stood over the bed with his back to Tony, gazing down at the body. Tony glanced around with a small frown before approaching, slowly, warily. He had taken on the air of a wounded animal. Everyone knows not to take a wounded animal by surprise._

_“Nice digs,” Tony commented, stopped a few paces behind him, hoping to coax some kind of comment from him. Silent Loki was more disconcerting than aggressive Loki._

_There was a long pause before he replied, “They’re mine. I revisited my body today,” he hadn’t turned to speak to Tony, gaze still fixed on the body in front of him, “A preliminary assessment of my condition. It was…unpleasant.”_

_Tony hesitated before taking the remaining few steps forward to stand beside Loki, following his gaze. What he saw made him swallow back a wave of nausea._

_The body on the bed was Loki, a copy, dressed in the same clothes, lying with his eyes closed and his hands folded over his stomach. The only way of describing his condition was mutilated. There were thick, glistening lines of crimson across the entirety of his torso that made his shirt cling to his body. Whiplashes, no doubt about that. A necklace of dark bruises ringed his neck, matching the swelling around one of his eyes, that were surrounded by welts and small cuts, some half-healed and some new. Bloody lacerations ran down his arms in a series of meticulous lines and there were metal bands on each of his wrists, tight enough to draw blood, made in the same design as the gag that still covered his lower jaw and mouth. It was the same one he had been wearing when he was taken from Earth._

_Had they not taken it off since?_

_Tony swallowed again as he took it in. He glanced sideways at the Loki stood beside him to see if he had caught that flash of complete and utter horror that had fleeted across his mind. But if Loki had noticed, he didn’t react, still looking down at himself, expression vacant and unreadable._

_“Shit…that’s what you look like in reality?” Tony asked, sweeping his eyes over the body once again._

_“Possibly,” Loki replied, still not looking away, “Most likely worse. I didn’t open my eyes. I felt. These are the injuries I could pinpoint through the haze of pain I found myself in…” he drifted back to silence as his throat bobbed and an unfamiliar expression flickered across his face._

_Tony looked up at him, “Are you…scared?” he asked, disbelievingly. Fear wasn’t an emotion that Tony had even considered Loki could feel, let alone one that he would ever see it._

_Loki’s eyes ticked sideways and met Tony’s for just a second before he shifted his posture, pulling his shoulders back and licking his lips, “There is a plot to kill me.”_

_Tony blinked at the news. It wasn’t so much the revelation itself that had Tony reeling, but the immediate, shocked reaction that came with it. He scowled at himself, internally pissed that that was his first response._

_“How do you know?” he asked, moving his thoughts quickly away from that before Loki caught wind of it._

_“Because I heard it!” he snapped, turning to Tony as he did. He looked away almost as soon as their eyes met, taken aback by his own outburst, before running a hand through his hair and moving a few steps away from the bed and pacing back and forth. A long, anxious moment passed as Loki paced, eyes focused and intense. Tony could almost see his mind working. After a few seconds he stopped and turned to face him, “I need your help.”_

_“My help?! How the hell could I help? I’m literally millions of miles away. My suit can’t quite fly that far yet.”_

_Loki wasn’t for humour, “I’ll show you what I remember and you must tell Thor. He can relay a message to Asgard. Hopefully, before the plan can be carried out.”_

_Tony glanced back to the body on the bed for a second, “Is this why you wanted my trust?”_

_Loki shook his head, “No. But that reason will no longer matter if I die in the next few days,” he replied hurriedly._

_“Then what is the reason?”_

_Loki took a deep breath, looking as though he was verging on frustrated, “Help me now and if I survive I swear you will know soon after.”_

_Tony raised an unimpressed eyebrow, “That’s blackmail.”_

_“If anything it’s a poor attempt at bribery,” Loki corrected, rubbing the bridge of his nose, he’d gone back to thinking, “since you find yourself wanting to help whether I had agreed to tell you or not.”_

_Tony narrowed his eyes slightly but Loki didn’t notice. He had begun pacing again, eyes downcast and concentrated. Tony watched him for a while, but he couldn’t help but think of the body lying still on the bed behind him. Loki had been tortured almost to breaking point, forced from his own mind and now he was going to be killed. He must be terrified._

_“Why are you asking me?” he asked quietly after a minute or two. The question made Loki pause in his stride and scowl at the floor, “I mean, come on, you know Thor would be more helpful. Or even someone on Asgard that, I don’t know, has some sway. You’re not stupid.”_

_Loki searched the floor for the answer, his brow still creased, “I fled,” he replied hesitantly, “I endured long enough to hear them talking, then I fled. I fled to the first place I thought of.”_

_“Me?”_

_Loki pressed his lips together and seemed to suppress something that came to mind, “You can be flattered later. Will you help me?”_

_Tony regarded him intently for a moment, a ghost of a frown between his eyebrows, “You never told me why you decided that I was one you chose to stalk.”_

_Loki’s brow twitched in confusion, “Yes I did. I said that-“_

_With a waft of his hand, Tony cut him off, “You said something about broken and damaged and clever, working for the good guys, some bullcrap about me being unique,” he said quietly, “That’s just not true. You had a whole universe to go snooping around, why would you choose an enemy?”_

_Surprise flickered across Loki’s face and for a split-second his mask was lost. It was surprise that someone had broken through his walls and deviations and lies to find their way to a hint of a truth. Gone in an instant and Tony suspected that in any other circumstance it wouldn’t have broken through at all. The god lowered his gaze to the floor, quiet for a moment, obviously thinking something over._

_“Do you remember our encounter before the Tesseract opened the gate?” he asked, moving slowly around Tony, back to gazing over his own body._

_“You mean when you threw me out the window?” Tony replied airily._

_An almost fond smile whispered at Loki’s lips, “You gave me a list of those whom I had angered,” he paused, taking a second to brush a strand of hair from the face the body on the bed before meeting Tony’s gaze again, “You were not on it.”_

_Tony blinked. He remembered that day quite well, not only because he had been thrown out of a window. He’d given the list off hand, using every shield of wit and sarcasm to hide the fear that had been bubbling under the surface. He had no idea why he had left himself off the list, maybe because he still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of calling himself a hero. Maybe it had been the fact that he had just found that he and Loki had remarkably similar thought processes. Maybe it had been something else. He couldn’t accurately recall now._

_He shrugged one shoulder as casually as he could, “So?”_

_“So,” Loki began to explain, calmly, “who do you think I would turn to first looking for trust. The men who attacked me with every intention of ending my life, or the man who took the time to offer me a drink?” he finished with a small smile, glancing at Tony momentarily before looked back to himself quickly._

_Tony raised a single eyebrow, “You threw me out of a window.”_

_That elicited a breath of genuine laughter from Loki but it died quickly, “I could’ve done so much worse.”_

_“Oh, how kind of you,” Tony responded with playful sarcasm, trying to draw on that hint of amusement, but it was gone as soon as it appeared._

_Bending slightly, Loki placed a hand gently on the hand lying stoically beside him, “I need your answer, Tony. I don’t know how much time I have.”_

_Tony pressed his lips together and rubbed a hand over his face, “You for the first time since you popped up I fell asleep actually looking forward to doing the nasty with the God of Mischief.”_

_Loki stood up straight and regarded him, expression set and neutral as ever, but the desperation with which he clutched his own bloodied hand was obvious._

_“Jesus Christ, I hate you,” Tony muttered, before exhaling, “Show me what you heard.”_

_Loki’s eyes searched Tony’s, flicking between them intently, before he swallowed and nodded his head, “Thank you, Tony,” he replied softly, almost disbelievingly, “Truly.”_

_Tony shuffled, “Let’s not make this a moment, just show me, ok, Tinkerbell?”_

_A true ‘Loki’ grin swept across his features then and he nodded eagerly, stepping away from the bed and shifting the dream around them, talking quickly as he recreated faceless figures, extracts of conversation, and leading Tony through twisting corridors and darkened back passages of Asgard. All the while, Tony followed, doing his best to keep his wonder at bay while trying to memorise everything Loki was telling him._

_Even as he tried not to contemplate the fact he was about to try to save the life of the guy who had once tried to take over the world._


	6. Chapter 6

It was mid-afternoon before Tony found Thor, his booming laugh carrying easily across the open gym where he and Natasha were training. It was quite the spectacle, Tony thought to himself, watching the spry Black Widow dodge and evade the powerful swings of the tree trunk arms possessed by the god of thunder. They were evenly matched though Tony suspected that if Natasha was ever to mistime a dodge, a blow from Thor would be quite damaging.

He crossed the room silently, watching the two fight, allowing them to come to their own conclusion, since any kind of distraction might result in a painful experience for either of them.

He wasn’t waiting for long before Natasha noticed him, dodging a swing from Thor and sidestepping easily to one side.

“Good afternoon, Tony,” she flashed a smile, “I didn’t expect to see you awake so early.”

Tony responded with a sarcastic grin of his own, fully aware it was past noon. “Early bird catches the worm,” he told her simply before moving his attention to Thor, who had turned upon hearing Natasha’s greeting, “I was actually hoping to talk to the big guy. In private.”

Natasha arched a single eyebrow, “Is this about your dream dates with Loki?” she teased.

Tony deadpanned. It appeared that Captain Blabbermouth had been making his rounds.

At his reaction, Natasha chuckled and strode past, leaving Tony to glower at her back until the elevator doors had slid shut behind her.

“What can I do for you, Tony?” Thor asked, wiping sweat from his brow with a small white towel that someone had provided him. He’d been given a set of sweat pants and a grey hooded top, probably so that he could move around the city without drawing too much attention. Besides there was only so long a guy could go in tight leather pants before it became less than comfortable. It made him seem a lot less God, more heavyweight boxer.

Tony spared a glance over his shoulder to make sure that Natasha had definitely left the room before rubbing the back of his head, somewhat wary of Thor’s reaction to the news that his brother might be killed.

“I’m gonna need you not to freak out, okay?” Tony started.

Thor chuckled uncertainly, “Do you have some news?” he asked but his easy smile fell away at Tony’s expression, “Does it concern my brother?”

Tony took a deep breath and nodded, “He needs your help.”

Thor frowned a little, “Of course, anything. What is wrong?”

“Apparently, some of your ‘people’” he made quotation marks in the air, “Are going to try to kill him,” Tony threw his hands up in front of him immediately as the shock on Thor’s face quickly twisted into rage and his hands drew into fists, looking very much like he was going to punch something or someone, very hard, “Now, now, take a deep breath. You won’t help anyone by knocking them unconscious and you’d be paying for any damages done to this place.”

Thor’s breathing was already heavy and quick and he glowered darkly at Tony for second, before running his hand through his hair and nodding more to himself as he made a visible attempt to calm himself, “Who is it?” he growled.

Tony shook his head, still wary of how close the god was to destroying something with his bare hands, “He doesn’t know, but that’s not really important. He knows what they’re planning. He said you need to get a message to whoever on wherever it is you come from,” Tony was sure he had been told the name of their home realm but it was gone from his mind and right now it didn’t seem important.

“There is no way they would succeed even if they tried,” Thor said, having calmed a little, using what he was saying as an anchor, “Loki’s body is guarded day and night.”

“There’s a passage behind the tapestry in the far right corner of his room,” Tony told him, running the memory of Loki guiding him down the tunnel, “It leads to some cave underneath the city, with a lake.”

The frown on Thor’s brow smoothed in realisation, “I know that place. Loki showed me when we were younger. I never knew how he had found it.”

“Well, now you do,” Tony pointed out.

Thor nodded in agreement, “That is true,” he mused to himself, before clasping a hand on Tony’s shoulder, “Thank you, for bringing this to me so quickly. I shall get a message to Heimdall and return to Asgard.”

Tony had no idea what a Heimdall was, but he wasn’t about to stop Thor and make him explain, “That’s it? It’s that simple?”

“I can relay the message immediately, however it will take time for the Allfather to gather enough energy to facilitate my return,” Thor explained, already moving past Tony, towards the elevator.

“So, it can be stopped?” Tony asked quickly, jogging to keep up with Thor’s great strides. There was a note of relief in his stomach. But, alongside it was a quiet niggling feeling that it all seemed too easy. Nothing was easy. Especially when gods were involved.

Thor paused as he reached out to push the call button on the elevator, he swallowed, “Possibly. But the state that Loki was in when I left, it would take little to push him into darkness proper. All I can do is pass on the message and hope that it is dealt with before it goes too far.”

With that, Thor stepped into lift and gave an attempt at a reassuring smile. It didn’t work as well as he hoped.

Tony stood alone in the gym for a while as the realisation that Loki could be dead by the time he went to bed that night dawned on him. And it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

A month ago, he wouldn’t have given two shits if he’d gotten the news that Loki was about to be killed. A part of him might have even been glad to hear it. But now.

With a sigh, Tony let his head fall back on his shoulders.

Was he admitting that he actually cared about the guy? Though, really, who was he trying to fool anymore? He’d slept with the guy for god’s sake, he’d allowed him to control his dreams and have unrestricted access to his entire mind for a month or so. Truth be told, that meant Loki probably knew him better than anyone living in Stark Tower alongside him.

Okay, yes, maybe he did care about Loki. There was more to him than just what he’d shown when he came to Earth, that much was certain, and there was more than just a part of Tony that was determined to find out what that was.

“Fuck,” he muttered to himself as he pushed the call button with a mind to once again hide away in his labs until night fell, “Why did I ever let Pepper make me sleep?”

**

_Stress had meant that sleep was hard enough to achieve, even after several, caffeine-less hours building, taking apart and rebuilding that machine Tony had promised Banner a few days before._

_Still, despite just how worried he’d made himself, Tony almost wished he hadn’t fallen asleep._

_He found himself stood on a beach, all white sand and clear, blue-tinted water, so gentle it was almost still. The sky overhead was clear and bright, not a single cloud or gust of wind. No sound at all save for the soft rush of water over sand. Behind him, a wall of vegetation cut him off from the rest of the island. But, something was just wrong._

_Loki was lying on his back not far from the water’s edge, bare feet being licked intermittently by the cool ocean, hands folded over his stomach, eyes so bagged they looked bruised. He didn’t even seem to notice Tony was there._

_“I told Thor,” Tony said, glancing around as he approached, not particularly comfortable looking at Loki while his form reminded him so starkly of how he was in reality, “He said he was gonna tell Heimdall? And that should have helped. But he wouldn’t be able to get back straight away. Tomorrow I think he said. Something about his dad gathering energy or something. Isn’t he supposed to be all powerful? But yeah, it’s done” he trailed off as he realised he had begun to babble, coming to a stop beside the younger god. He looked worse close up._

_There was a short pause in which Loki’s throat bobbed and he cracked open his eyes ever so slightly to look up at Tony. It looked like he was too tired to do much more, “It was too late,” he replied, hoarsely, voice cracked and weak._

_A sickening weight dropped into his stomach. Tony’s eyes went wide and his mouth opened and closed a couple of times, working to try to find the right words. When it became clear that none were forthcoming, he ran his hand up through his hair and dropped to his haunches, running his eyes over Loki’s form, “But, you’re still here? They can’t have-“_

_Loki gave a broken chuckle, his smile doing nothing to liven his face, “It was rushed, poorly executed and interrupted. I suppose I should thank you. The news of Thor’s impending return must have hurried their plans.”_

_Tony frowned, confused, “So you’re gonna survive?”_

_At that, Loki’s fragile smile died and his eyes closed, pausing before replying, “I don’t know.”_

_Tony shook his head quickly, his frown becoming a scowl, “Oh no, you don’t. You’re not dying on me, you little shit. You’ve still got to tell me why the hell you wanted my trust.”_

_“When does Thor return?” Loki asked curiously, completely ignoring Tony’s comment._

_“He didn’t give a time. Some time tomorrow, he said,” Tony replied, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, “Why?”_

_“When Thor has returned and I know that I am safe, then I swear you will have your answer,” Loki told him, earnestly, even making the effort to meet his gaze once again._

_“Not if you die before then I won’t.”_

_The corner of Loki’s lips hitched into a small half-smirk, “Is that concern, Mr. Stark?” he asked, with that tone that told him that he had already knew full well what it was._

_Tony snorted, denying emotion had become a habit he was fairly reliant on, “Don’t flatter yourself.”_

_Loki chuckled again and closed his eyes once more, but the smirk stayed in place, “I won’t be dying any time soon. I’m merely tired. The energy it took to come here was somewhat overwhelming after such an ordeal. Calm yourself.”_

_Tony glowered at him for a moment, pissed at him for making him worried, pissed at himself for being worried, “What happens now?”_

_“Well, I have absolutely no intention of returning to my body until it is absolutely necessary,” Loki informed him, his voice was slowly getting clearer as he used it, “So unless you have somewhere to be in your own head, I suggest we simply relax and enjoy the fine weather. I suspect you have not had a true holiday in a while.”_

_Indecision made Tony pause. He couldn’t help but be fleetingly wary of Loki’s true intentions but it only took another look at his state to convince himself there was no danger. Carefully, he lowered himself into a sitting position next to Loki, knees up to his chest. They sat/lay in comfortable silence for a while, a whole host of thoughts flickered across Tony’s mind, too quickly for him to properly understand. Occasionally, he’d glance sideways and catch Loki smirking or frowning, probably as he read Tony’s thoughts alongside him. Any violation that he might have felt not so long ago was not forthcoming. By now there probably not a lot that Loki didn’t know. If anything, it was a hell of a lot easier than talking about feelings and all that crap._

_Loki gave a breath of laughter at that._

_Tony’s eyes ticked sideways at him, “Something funny Chuckles?”_

_“It just amuses me how similar the two of us are, deep down.”_

_“I didn’t try to take over the world.”_

_“And I have never sold weapons to fuel a war that was not my own,” Loki responded easily._

_Tony glared at the god, not that Loki could tell, his eyes were still closed, “Bit different.”_

_“I’d say the body count could be quite comparable.”_

_“Let’s not do that, I was just starting to like you,” Tony bit back, before staring out over the water once again._

_“Your past life is a sore point,” Loki interpreted then paused before continuing, “Do you think perhaps that someone like myself could one day claim the same thing? Or do you think what I have done is too great to ever truly be left in the past?” his tone was conversational and easy, but Tony didn’t have to be in his head to notice a heaviness on his words._

_Tony swallowed, keeping his gaze forward, “Everybody should get a second chance,” he found himself saying before he even realised he’d thought it._

_Loki regarded him silently out of the corner of his eye, “If only everyone thought as you do, Stark,” Loki mused before sighing tiredly and looking up to the sky, “I think it is time to say farewell.”_

_Tony blinked and turned his head sharply to the god still lying in the sand, “Farewell? What do you mean farewell? Like g’bye?!”_

_“You do talk very quickly when you worry,” Loki commented, smiling, turning his head to look up at Tony once again, “I must say, you have been surprisingly hospitable.”_

_Before Tony had a chance to argue, the scene flickered and fuzzed over like a television with bad reception and for the first time in what felt like forever, Tony’s dreams returned to normal._

**

A storm was growing when Tony stepped out onto the roof of Stark Tower, darkening the sky to the point where it could easily have been night time. Thor was pacing back and forth dangerously close to the edge, dressed once again in his full Asgardian garb, all metal armour and red cape, clutching his hammer in one hand. Tony paused by the doorway for a moment, glancing up at the sky and absently wondering how long he had before it opened up and drenched him, before hunching his shoulders against the wind and crossing to the god.

“I’m guessing this is your ride?” he called over the sound of the air around them.

Thor stopped his pacing and approached upon hearing Tony’s voice, “Tony,” he greeted, seriously, “Have you heard from Loki? Is he well?”

“Yes and kinda,” Tony answered, able to speak at normal volumes now they were close. At Thor’s questioning frown, he continued, “It looks like we didn’t stop it, but he’s alive. Just.”

Thor took a deep breath to control that flash of rage that crossed his face, “That is…good news,” he decided, though he didn’t seem entirely sure of his decision, “You have my thanks, Tony. You have saved my brother’s life.”

“Yeah, well don’t count your chickens,” Tony mumbled, too quiet for Thor to hear, “I have another question.”

Thor nodded silently.

“What does it mean, if Loki just leaves?” he asked with visible trepidation.

Thor’s brow creased in thought and he searched the ground with his eyes, “He may have awoken…” he swallowed and looked back to Tony, “It is only more urgent that I return. Perhaps I can do something to alleviate some of his future punishment,” with that he offered a small smile and clapped a heavy hand onto Tony’s shoulder, “You have been a good friend to me Tony, and to Loki. You cannot know how much that means.”

Tony pressed his lips into a thin smile. Emotions were still to foreign to display in real life, “Not like I had a choice.”

Thor gave a breath of weak laughter, “I suppose you didn’t. However, my gratitude remains,” he squeezed Tony’s shoulder in presumable what he assumed to be a gentle, friendly way before looking up as a rumble of deafening thunder echoed across the sky, “It is time for me to leave it seems.”

Tony nodded and took several steps back, bracing himself as the wind picked up. He followed Thor’s gaze up as a column of grey cloud swirled down from the sky, engulfing the god in a wall of twisting fog. Tony watched it for a moment, absently wondering exactly what was happening inside the tube before taking a deep breath and turning away.

It was out of his hands now. Thor had returned, Loki had awoken, and now everything was to be settled on a world millions of miles away. Maybe he could get back to his normal life, get to work on those prototypes he’d been planning, upgrading and adjusting his suit, arguing over bed times with Steve. He’d forget about Loki in a week, if that. Loki would be fine; he was in the best possible hands. Thor would make sure of that. He would be fine.

At least that’s what he told himself.

With a huff, Tony stuffed his hands in his pockets and hurried faster for the door. The wind was beginning to die down and he had a horrific feeling that he was about to get absolutely drenched.

“Tony…”

The man halted in his tracks as his name cut through the dying wind so softly he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t the wind itself. It had to have been the wind. There was no way that he could have heard what he thought he heard.

Hesitantly, he turned.

Bent double in the spot that Thor had been not moments ago was Loki. He looked so much worse than his dreams had ever shown. In addition to the wounds he had already shown him, there were hundreds of half-healed cuts. His clothes were torn and muddied and his skin was coated in a layer of dried blood and dirt. He held one arm across his waist, blood dribbling between his fingers and falling in droplets to the floor. He stared pleadingly at Tony for a long moment through sunken, darkened eyes until his legs buckled and his dropped to his knees, coughing worryingly.

Once it had subsided, Loki lifted his head once again, “You wanted to know…why I wanted your trust…” he was cut off as he screwed his face up and grunted in pain, “This is…your answer.”

Tony blinked, a series of swear words streaming through his head as he approached cautiously, “Is this another dream?”

Loki gave a spluttering chuckle, sending a trail of blood down his chin, “Does this look to be a dream?”

“Shit,” Tony finally voiced one of the swear words and closed the rest of the distance and crouching in front of the god, “Shit, Loki, what the hell? This was your plan from the beginning?!”

Loki licked his lips and blinked slowly, “Not so soon. Circumstances change,” his voice hitched on the last word and he grimaced.

Tony sat back, swallowing hard. Sending a message that had possibly saved his life was one thing, but bringing him into the Avenger’s sanctuary? He wasn’t sure he could do that.

Loki coughed again, lifting his free hand to wipe the trail of blood from lips, “Please Tony.”

Tony looked away and ran a hand through his hair, “You little shit,” he muttered half-heartedly, before repositioning himself so that he could slip an arm under Loki’s shoulders, “You have no idea how much I hate you right now.”

Loki managed a weak chuckle as he was helped to his feet, but said nothing.

Tony glanced at the guy he was helping make his way across the roof.

It seemed like the shit had well and truly hit the fan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, thank you so much for reading this and leaving such lovely comments!! Sorry for the slight delay on this, I've been working on something that is going to go up on here at some point.   
> This is the end of this fic.   
> However, I do have plans for a sequel in the pipelines. I just need to sort the plotline all the way through and get going on it before i get it up on here.   
> You're all so awesome ok? <3


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